So is it stuffing or is it dressing? Well, that all depends. The Joy of Cooking states that it is stuffing when cooked in the bird and dressing when cooked in a dish. I’ve also heard that those in the Southern States are more likely to say dressing whereas those in the Northern U.S. say stuffing. I grew up in Indiana cooking and eating stuffing all my life and changing vocabulary is a hard habit to break. Truthfully, I really just prefer the sound of it. ‘Stuffing’ sounds more decadent and sinful than the starched ‘dressing’. No matter what you call it, though, I’m sure we can all agree that it’s some damn good eats.

Last year for Thanksgiving I made two different stuffings. One was for meat lovers and the other vegetarian. I was highly anticipating my sausage, fennel and sage stuffing and thought for sure it would be met with rave reviews. I wasn’t quite as excited about the vegetarian chorizo cornbread stuffing but I knew it would be appreciated by my vegetarian friends at the table. I had never made either dish before (yeah, it’s very much like me to experiment on a crowd of hungry people), and I was anxious to hear what the polls said.

To my surprise, the cornbread stuffing was the more popular choice, hands down. I couldn’t hide the shock on my face. I had spent a great deal of time preparing that sausage fennel masterpiece and these people picked the afterthought? They must not have good taste. I must have invited unrefined imbeciles to dine at my Thanksgiving table. Then I tried them both… Shit. These people were right. The bready sausage mixture was ok but it was just that, ok. The real star of the show (and for some, the whole meal) was by far the smoky, spicy, sweet and flavorful cornbread stuffing.

Needless to say, the vegetarian stuffing was gobbled up and the other was sadly only picked at. It was like that kid in school with all the fancy clothes up against the one with a killer personality. I don’t care how fancy you are, personality always wins.

So, this year, as I start to wind down my Thanksgiving Extravaganza, I knew my stuffing of choice to share with you was my Vegetarian Soy Chorizo & Cornbread Stuffing. Crowd tested and approved, this is the only stuffing recipe you need. Maybe I’ll perfect a fancy dressing in the future but I’m not too anxious yet.

Vegetarian Soy Chorizo & Cornbread Stuffing

www.barbaracooks.com

Servings: 12 • Size: heaping ½ cup • Weight Watcher Points+: 5

Calories: 200 • Fat: 6g • Carbs: 31g • Fiber: 3g • Protein: 6g

Sugars: 6g • Sodium: 652mg • Cholesterol: 0mg

NOTE: Nutrition facts were calculated based on using 2/3 of a bag of Bob’s Red Mill Cornbread mix made with 1 cup fat free milk, 2 Tablespoons olive oil and 2 egg whites. Using another cornbread may change the values listed here.

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon olive oil

½ cup diced onion

½ cup diced red bell pepper

½ cup diced celery

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

12 ounces soy chorizo

2 Tablespoons diced green chilies

6 cups cornbread pieces

1 ½ Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1 ½ cups vegetable stock

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic and salt and sauté until vegetables start to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the soy chorizo and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, 5-6 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.

Add the green chilies, cornbread, cilantro and vegetable stock to the bowl and gently stir until mixture is evenly distributed.

Spray a 9×13 casserole dish with an oil mister or cooking spray and spread the stuffing evenly in the dish. Bake 30 minutes or until the top starts to crisp.